General view of the rating car in the National Hydraulics Laboratory, located at the old NBS campus at Connecticut Ave and Van Ness St in Washington, DC

General view of the rating car in the National Hydraulics Laboratory, located at the old NBS campus at Connecticut Ave and Van Ness St in Washington, DC

Date

1935-10-19

Collection

Hydraulics Laboratory

Description

In 1930, Congress authorized the construction of the National Hydraulic Laboratory at the NBS campus. The mission of the laboratory was to make determinations of fundamental data useful in hydraulic research and engineering, including laboratory research relating to the behavior and control of river and harbor waters, the study of hydraulic structures and water flow, and the development and testing of hydraulic instruments and accessories. Federal and state agencies that did not possess the necessary laboratory facilities were able to use the NBS Hydraulic Laboratory to have studies made of structures designed by their engineering staffs. Designs of many structures, such as dams and dry docks, have been improved and simplified through tests of small scale models made in the laboratory. Experimental and theoretical research included: the study of the flow reservoirs of bottom currents of sediment-laden water; the intrusion of subsurface sea water at the mouths of rivers; and the physics of plumbing. The laboratory also calibrated water current meters or instruments used in the measurement of the quantity of water flowing in rivers and other open channels. The National Hydraulic Laboratory at the old NBS campus at Connecticut Ave. and Van Ness St. in Washington, DC was 285 feet long and 60 feet wide for two thirds of its length, and 92 feet wide for the remainder. The building contained two large concrete supply basins. From these, water was pumped through flumes and other experimental apparatus to a concrete measuring basin. From there, the water was returned to the supply basins. Maximum flow of over 100 cubic feet per second was possible in the main flume. The laboratory was designed with great flexibility and adaptability to allow for the simultaneous study of a number of different problems.

Rights

The images in the Hydraulics Laboratory Photographic Collection are in the public domain and are not subject to copyright in the United States. However, please pay special attention to the individual works to make sure there are no copyright restrictions indicated. Individual works may require securing other permissions from the original copyright holder. Use of the images from NIST Digital Collections is not restricted, but a statement of attribution is required. Please use the following attribution statement: National Institute of Standards and Technology Digital Collections, Gaithersburg, MD 20899.